Corporate culture varies, and with it, corporate surveillance policies. Some companies give notice to employees that their e-mail communications are not private. Kmart’s policy, for example, introduced at every employee orientation, states that “misuse of the e-mail system could result in denial of access to the Kmart computing environment or dismissal.” Apple Computers, on the other hand, has an explicit policy of not monitoring employee e-mail.

What might be the advantages and disadvantages of such policies from an employee’s viewpoint? An employer’s?